Saturday, April 20, 2013

Birthday Bliss Saturday, April 20, 2013

Birthday Bliss

sunrise on my birthday over Dublin Bay
                   What a day. I would definitely recommend spending your birthday with good friends on the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland (did miss my family though). 



Sweet paperweight birthday gift from Pauline
     The sunrise was beautiful and we had a spectacular Irish Spring (what was that commercial?) day that bordered on being warm! J 



             I marvel that I’ve not even craved coffee since leaving California.. but I do crave tea…. several times a day! 
No withdrawal.. no headache … just sweet anticipation of the next pot (with milk of course)!

Scotch Broom in Ireland? It has thorns!

View from Victoria Hill, and Enya's view of Dublin Bay
We drove to Victoria Hill which overlooks Dublin’s Bay with a 360 view. On the way up, we drove past both Bono’s and Enya’s homes. 





       Walking up the hill, there is lots of (what we call) “Scotch” broom with thorns (I wondered if they called it “Irish” broom here… but no, just “broom.”). Lots of walkers and lots of dogs.     
I wondered about the poop laws here and Pauline told me it is over a 100 Euro fine! 

           Then we went to a little village/burg of Dublin called Dalkey. Fun shops! We found sausages for the next day’s breakfast. 



Did someone say "Soda Bread?"

Fun visit to little village of Dalkey

We'll be having these for tomorrow's breakfast!

              And we were off to a very old Georgian castle, Powers Court, which has been made into a kind of Ghirardelli Square with shops and grounds and gardens and restaurant. The food is very high quality and fresh. I had an absolutely to die for fresh pea and mint soup, served with a heavily-seeded brown soda bread!!!



Powers Court - a Georgian era palace filled with wonderful shops

best lunch ever .. fresh pea and mint soup and multi-seeded soda bread!





gourmet fast food

the specialty item shelf (LOL)
 $8.50 for a box of pancake mix anyone?
Do we even still call it "Aunt" Jemima?





             Pauline and David treated us to pre-dinner treats and gave me a lovely (antique) Parian ware bread platter. Then we were off to dinner at Avoca Handweaver’s Fern House Restaurant. It was lovely… glass enclosed, tall ceilings with cutlery hanging off the chandeliers. Good food – good friends – and good memories!

birthday dinner menu

simply amazing

and another birthday is put to bed ....

            Tomorrow we are off on our adventure driving down the coast south to where we will live for the next 3 months. Hard to believe it’s here!

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